Fireball (2009)

firebalWhen I read the premise for this and discovered Ian Somerhalder was starring I was a little excited. I mean Ian Somerhalder as a bad ass fire throwing villain could be excellent, especially considering he has a knack for playing sharp villains. But then I learned that he’s merely the protagonist and we’re instead given a bulky bald muscle bound man who can throw fire, and I just settled on Somerhalder playing the hero. Fair enough. In spite of being derivative and feeling like a glorified television pilot, “Fireball” is a pretty solid action thriller that teams up genre actress Lexa Doig and television mainstay Ian Somerhalder as law officials who have to chase around a fire controlling maniac through the country and find a way to stop his madness.

“Fireball” is an often confused film in the narrative sense, that can never be sure if it wants to be a procedural or character exploration. So when Somerhalder as the hard boiled Lee and Doig as the authoritative inspector Ava meet up, there’s chemistry, but only as far as the script allows. Thankfully there isn’t a scene where the two attractive officials strip and make love, but there is a palpable chemistry between the two, both of whom are so committed to their jobs they only connect through their case. The script only offers character insight through small increments. Lee connects to the case of the maniacal Tyler Draven because both men have a history of domestic abuse in their lives. Ava connects to Draven because he’s murdering people and she has a past with death.  They connect on the level of your normal “Law & Order” show where they have an inkling of chemistry but only when it involves getting clues and solving crimes.

Tyler Draven is a tortured football player on a violent rampage who has just been put in to jail. During a mysterious chemical fire, Draven is trapped in his cell, and passes out. By the principles of the comic book gods, Draven’s cell structure merges with the fire’s own, and when he is taken to the hospital, he emerges as a bald fire controlling maniac. Now on the loose, he sets out to murder everyone who put him in jail, and Ava and Lee are on his tail. Why he merged with the fire is never explained. And why his clothes don’t burn off whenever he becomes fire starter is never quite pin pointed. Nor how a seven foot bulking celebrity is able to creep around creating fire balls without being noticed by just about everyone. Aleks Paunovic isn’t required to do much, except skulk around and growl while throwing fire balls at everyone who wrongs him.

He’s basically a super villain without a Spider-Man, but Somerhalder and Doig do their best jobs as opposite partners using science to stop a fire breathing maniac as best as they can. Their performances are solid and very competent, providing enough sexual tension to keep us going through the plot, while Draven walks around wreaking havoc and inevitably targeting a local nuclear plant hoping to create a disaster for a world that’s been awful to him. Kristoffer Tabori as director offers a sleek and gritty little television movie that doesn’t do much, except act on the formula of a television movie. “Fireball” suspiciously feels like it’s testing the waters for another adventure featuring Ava and Lee. And while I roll my eyes derisively at that notion, it doesn’t mean I didn’t have a good time with this B picture.
Lapse in logic and goofy plot holes aside, “Fireball” is a solid B science fiction action film with two talented television stars giving competent performances for a very entertaining premise that manages to keep audiences attention for the duration. I had a good time with it, and that’s all I care about.